MEPhI has won a competition to create unmanned systems capable of long-term hovering over a given area. The project involves the development of a fundamentally new high-altitude platform that combines the properties of an airplane and an airship, and can also become the basis for next-generation telecom infrastructure.
The MEPhI Engineering Center is creating a technological reserve for a heavy stratospheric platform with autonomy of up to 1000 hours and integration into distributed NTN networks.
The concept uses the advantages of lighter-than-air vehicles — zero buoyancy in the stratosphere, which eliminates the need to expend energy to maintain flight. At the same time, the shape and aerodynamics are close to the aircraft scheme, providing resistance to winds and low energy consumption for maneuvers.
The platform will become an element of future distributed 6G networks and will be able to operate as a high-altitude base station with coverage from 150 to 450 sq. km. On board will be a MIMO system with an adaptive phased array, several data transmission channels, and a full 5G L1–L3 stack. For accurate positioning, micro-navigation based on GNSS and inertial sensors with a hybrid quantum magnetometer with a sensitivity of 10 nTл/√Hz will be used.
MEPhI is planning a line of three platforms. The light one — airplane type, with autonomy of up to five days, is ready for testing in 2026. The medium one — a "flying wing" with a diesel engine, capable of operating for up to two weeks. The heavy one — stratospheric, with a cryogenic power plant and zero buoyancy, will become the basis for pilot launches in Yakutia and communication projects for unmanned trucks.